Cole seeks second opinion with elbow surgery still on table

TAMPA, Fla. ¨C For the second consecutive spring, Yankees ace Gerrit Cole has traveled to Los Angeles to seek an additional opinion from Dr. Neal ElAttrache regarding the state of the right-hander¡¯s elbow.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone confirmed Cole¡¯s latest trip to the West Coast while speaking on the YES Network during Monday¡¯s Grapefruit League game against the Tigers. Cole has said he is ¡°concerned¡± about the potential for surgery. If it is determined that Cole requires Tommy John surgery, it would be a season-ending procedure.

¡°Unfortunately, sometimes it¡¯s part of the game,¡± Boone said after the Yankees¡¯ 10-2 win over Detroit. ¡°We missed him for the first couple of months last year [at] this time of year. It created opportunities that guys stepped up in. Whatever happens, whatever it is, we¡¯re going to support our guy and try to get him right and be there for him.¡±

Cole reported discomfort following his most recent spring outing on Thursday, in which he permitted six runs over 2 2/3 innings against the Twins. Initial imaging was performed on Friday, with Cole saying the next day he planned to seek additional opinions before deciding on a course of action.

Last March, Cole was diagnosed with right elbow inflammation and edema in his pitching elbow, an injury that delayed his season debut until June.

¡°If it is where he does have to go get surgery, hopefully that¡¯s something that serves us well in the long haul, instead of if he¡¯s compromised at all or in a tough situation,¡± Boone said. ¡°The reality is, Gerrit still has a lot of pitching in front of him in his career, and pitching with the Yankees. We want that to be as successful as it¡¯s been already, and we¡¯ll just go from there.¡±

The Yankees have been slammed by injuries this spring, including two significant blows to their rotation. In addition to losing Cole, Luis Gil is dealing with a high-grade right lat strain that is expected to keep the right-hander out of action for at least three months.

Max Fried is expected to slide in as the Bombers¡¯ Opening Day starter, joined in the rotation by Marcus Stroman, Carlos Rod¨®n and Clarke Schmidt.

Cole¡¯s injury may open a spot for rookie Will Warren, who limited the Tigers to two runs and two hits over 3 2/3 innings on Monday and has pitched to a 1.54 ERA in 11 2/3 innings this spring. Non-roster invitees Carlos Carrasco and Allan Winans are also being considered.

¡°It¡¯s not a death sentence for us by any means,¡± Boone said. ¡°It¡¯s an opportunity for someone else.¡±

Will, I am
Warren said this spring has been a good opportunity to ¡°show who Will Warren is,¡± which prompted this question: How would the right-hander describe himself to fans who might not have seen much of him, beyond a handful of starts last season?

¡°A competitor,¡± Warren replied. ¡°I want to attack the zone early, get after it, and at the end of the day just keep the team in the game [to] get us in a position to win.¡±

A good example of that came in Monday¡¯s start against Detroit, which Warren described as ¡°gritty.¡± Warren walked one and struck out one in the 57-pitch (33-strike) outing, during which he surrendered a two-run double to former teammate Gleyber Torres.

¡°It¡¯s nice to get one of those out of the way and compete a little bit,¡± Warren said. ¡°Just attacking the zone, even if I¡¯m behind in the count, shows where I¡¯m at [with] trying to minimize the damage.¡±

Boone said Warren has improved his command with his four-seam fastball, curveball and changeup, noting that those pitches should help Warren against left-handed hitters. Last season in the Minors, lefties posted an .860 OPS against Warren, compared to a .679 OPS for righties.

¡°I feel like he¡¯s way ahead of where he was at this time last year in that regard,¡± Boone said.

Back up north
Giancarlo Stanton was in New York on Monday for a third round of platelet-rich plasma injections in his ailing elbows. Boone said Stanton, who recently spent 11 days in New York while dealing with a personal issue, is not expected to return to camp on Tuesday.

Stanton has been unable to swing a bat since mid-January due to what he described as ¡°severe¡± pain in both elbows. The Yankees have said Stanton will begin the season on the injured list, and Stanton said there is no timeline for resuming baseball activities.